Sleeping Princess

 

Hana’s Perspective

“So, your mom is coming?”

“Yep!”

Sora’s eyes glow like green gems. Her fluffy fiery hair swished back and forth with excitement. Standing a tad taller than me I leaned my head up with a smirk still plastered on my face.

“You’ve told me so much about her! She sounds just like a princess. She’s kind, clever, oh, I can’t wait to see her!

“Hehe, my mom’s the best!”

Hino Sora is my best friend since last year. She and I talk about a lot of things and I could never replace her.

“Are you still gawking over your lesbian mom, Koda-san?”

From the side, a group of girls glared at me and Sora.

“Leave us alone, Hidori-san.”

“It’s okay, Sora.”

I put my hand on my cheeks and turned back to her.

“Yep, I am gawking over my lesbian mom.”

“Geez, go kiss her already.”

The group laughed as they turned back to each other.

People like Hidori-san make me sick. They find things that are different about others and exploit them to make themselves feel better. But I couldn’t care less about what others think now. The moment I decided to call Ayumi mom…was one of the happiest moments of my life.

“Don’t listen to them, Hana.”

“Nope, they can say what they want. Mom’s still my mom. And mom’s still my mom. And I love them both.”

“Mmh, you’ve grown, Hana.”

Sora patted me on the head. I had the urge to fight back but instead, all I did was grown.

When I decided to accept that they are together is when I told myself that I will treat Ayumi as my mom. And I’ll defend their relationship to the end…because they both love me, and I love them.

“Sora, am I going to meet your parents?”

“Oh, my mom is on a business trip and wasn’t able to make it. But my dad will be here.”

My mind went back as I grew anxious now. Back in elementary school, the last year before junior high…I was with my group of friends…

---

“Hana, you’ve been in the clouds all day. What’s going on?”

I’ve been thinking about my mom introducing me to Ayumi…as her girlfriend. I never thought about things like that before so I couldn’t understand how something like that will work.

“Ah…how can two girls…be lovers?”

“Huh, where’s this coming from?”

My friends, a group of four, looked at me like I grew two heads. But they were my friends, so I pressed on…

“Ah…my mom has a girlfriend.”

Suddenly one of them laughed.

“Your mom is a lesbian now?”

“A lesbian?”

That was a word I never heard…or at least I don’t remember hearing.

“Gross.”

“Gross?”

“Does that mean you’re a lesbian too, Hana?”

I couldn’t understand what they were talking about. My eyes darted at each of them one after another.

“What do you mean?”

“What we’re saying is, do you like girls too?”

“No…I don’t think so.”

“Well, you sure don’t sound convincing.”

Our fearless leader put her hand on her hip as she bit at me with her words.

“Listen, none of us here are like that so, don’t start flirting with us…got it?”

Suddenly the knitting of our group became untied and I was like a string, dangling from the end. Noticeable and alone.

“And what’s so bad about that?”

 

 

I turned to Sora who’s been silent the entire time, analyzing the situation.

“What?”

“If her mom is a lesbian that doesn’t automatically mean Hana is too. But even if she was, what does that matter?”

“Ew, I bet you both are dating each other, right?”

“Now you’re just being ornery, Sakura.”

Sora spewed with her hands crossed. Her nose turned up with a scowl on her face.

“S-Sora’s right…what’s wrong with that?”

I stood up to the group, alongside my new ally.

“What does it matter to you guys what my mom likes? That doesn't even make sense...that you'll have an opinion on it.”

The girls looked around silently, most likely unable to come up with a proper rebuttal.

“Tsk, let’s leave these two girls. I don’t want to be around this kind of stuff.”

As fast as our group was formed, it broke. Despite how long we were together in elementary, like water it washed away leaving Sora and me as leftover residue from it.

“Don’t listen to them, Hana-san.”

“Hm?”

“I might not be…like that, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand how love is different for everyone. You don’t need to make them understand if they’re that pigheaded.”

Sora…was like a beacon of light to me. I might not feel the same towards another woman throughout my life but that doesn’t mean I should judge my mom for it. She made it…clear to me.

“Thank you…Sora.”

I found myself crying that day. I wasn’t sad that I lost friends though…no, I was happy that I gained a true friend.

It was that reason why I decided that from there on I will always accept Ayumi as my mom. Because who am I to decide who my mom falls in love with. And if she wants Ayumi to be part of our family then I will defend their relationship with every fiber of my being.

---

“H-Hana, our parents are starting to come in!”

Sora cried out, waking me from my recollection.

“Wow, that woman’s beautiful. She doesn’t look like anyone in this classroom.”

One of the girls gawked at a certain beauty...

“Who has her genes?!”

Whispers from all around pointed at one person…the woman with the brightest smile in the room.

“Mom!”

I cried before standing up and running to her.

“H-Hana! Act appropriately…”

“So, that’s Koda-san’s mom, huh?”

“That’s Koda-san’s mom?!”

“No, that’s Koda-san’s other mom…”

“Well, she’s still beautiful!”

I nuzzled my way into her stomach. For some reason, I didn’t want to let her go today. She was my mom and I didn't care what others thought about it anymore.

“I love you so much, mom!”

“Hana, what’s gotten into you?”

I’ll defend you no matter what.

Because you and mom deserve each other, and nobody should decide anything else for you.

I hope that one day Onee-san understands that too.

That Nakagawa Ayumi and Koda Mari belong together...